scene 4., ii. 93.

_Twyne_ (John), the topographer, notice of, i. 480.

_Twyne_ (Thomas), a minor poet of the age of Shakspeare, i. 704.

_Tye_ (Christopher), a minor poet of the age of Shakspeare, i. 704.

_Typography_, remarks on the style of, in Queen Elizabeth's reign, i. 437. Beautiful specimens of decorative printing, 438.

_Tyrwhitt_ (Mr.), conjecture of, respecting the date of Shakspeare's Romeo and Juliet, ii. 356, 357. And of Twelfth-Night, 531, 532.

U

_Underdonne_ (Thomas), a minor poet of the age of Shakspeare, i. 704.

_Upstart_ country-squire or knight, character of, i. 81.

V

"_Valentine and Orson_," romance of, cited by Shakspeare, i. 572. Notice of a curious edition of, 571, 572. Its extensive popularity, 572.

_Valentine's Day_, origin of the superstitions concerning, i. 324. Custom of choosing lovers ascribed to Madame Royale, 324, 325. Supposed to be of pagan origin, 325. Modes of ascertaining Valentines for the current year, 326. The poor feasted on this day, 327.

_Vallans_ (William), a minor poet of the age of Shakspeare, i. 705.

_Vaughan_'s (W.) "Golden Grove," a collection of essays, i. 513. Character of, with specimens of his style, 514.

_Vaux_ (Lord), specimen of the poems of, i. 713.

_Vennard_ (Richard), a minor poet of the age of Shakspeare, i. 705.

_Venice_ one of the sources of English fashions in the age of Shakspeare, ii. 94.

_Venus and Adonis_, a poem of Shakspeare, probable date of, i. 426, 427. Notice of the "Editio Princeps," ii. 20, 21. Dedicated to the Earl of Southampton, 3. Proofs of its melody and beauty of versification, 21-23. Singular force and beauty of its descriptions, 24-26. Similes, 26. And astonishing powers of Shakspeare's mind, 27. This poem inferior to its classical prototypes, _ibid._ Complimentary verses on this poem, addressed to Shakspeare, 28-30. Its meretricious tendency censured by contemporary writers, 31. Popularity of this poem, 31. _note_ [31:A]. Notice of its principal editions, 32.

_Versification_ of the poetry of the Elizabethan age examined, i. 597. Remarks on the versification of Sir John Beaumont, 601. Of Browne, 603. Of Chalkhill, 606. Of Chapman, 608. Of Daniel, 612. Of Davies, 613. Of Davors, 614. Of Donne, 615. Of Drayton, 616, 617. Of Drummond, 618. Of Fairefax, 619. Of the two Fletchers, 620, 621. Of Gascoigne, 626. Of Bishop Hall, 628, 629. Of Dr. Lodge, 632-635. Of Marston, 637. Of Spenser, 648. Of the Earl of Stirling, 651. Of Sylvester, 653. Of Watson, 661. Of Willobie, 665, 666. Of Shakspeare's Venus and Adonis, ii. 21-23. Of his Rape of Lucrece, 33-36. Of Spenser's sonnets, 55. Of Shakspeare's sonnets, 77-82. Of Peele, 240. _note_. Of the Two Gentlemen of Verona, 369.

_Verstegan_ (Richard), a minor poet of the age of Shakspeare, i. 705.

_Vincent_ (St.), supposed influence of his day, i. 350.

_Virtue_ loved and cherished by Shakspeare's fairies, ii. 339, 340.

_Virtus post funera vivit_, whimsical translation of, i. 238, 239.

_Voltaire_'s calumnies on Shakspeare refuted, ii. 553, 554.

_Volumnia_, remarks on the character of, ii. 494, 495.

_Vortigern and Rowena_, anecdote of, i. 127, 128.

_Vows_, how made by knights in the age of chivalry, i. 552.

_Voyages and Travels_, collections of, published in the time of Shakspeare, i. 477-479.

W

_Wager_ (Lewis), a dramatic poet, notice of, ii. 234.

_Waists_ of great length, fashionable in the age of Shakspeare, ii. 97.

_Wakes_, origin of, i. 209. Degenerate into licentiousness, 210. Verses on, by Tusser, _ibid._ And by Herrick, 211, 212. Frequented by pedlars, 212. Village-wakes still kept up in the North, 213.

_Walton_'s "Complete Angler," errata in, i. 293. _note_. Encomium on, 297. _note_.

_Wapul_ (George), a dramatic writer in the time of Elizabeth, ii. 237.

_Wardrobes_ (ancient), account of, ii. 91, 92. Notice of theatrical wardrobes, in the time of Shakspeare, 220, 221.

_Warner_ (William), biographical notice of, i. 658. Critical remarks on his "Albion's England," 659, 660. Quotations from that poem illustrative of old English manners and customs, i. 104, 105. 118, 119. 135. 143. _note_. 147. _note_.

_Warnings_ (preternatural) of death or danger, i. 351-354.

_Warren_ (William), a minor poet of the age of Shakspeare, i. 705.

_Warton_ (Dr.), observations of, on the "Gesta Romanorum," i. 536, 537. On Fenton's collection of Italian novels, 542. On the satires of Bishop Hall, 628, 629. On the merits of Harington, 629. On the satires of Marston, 637.

_Washing_ of hands, why necessary before dinner in the age of Elizabeth, ii. 145.

_Wassail_, origin of the term, i. 127. Synonymous with feasting, 129.

_Wassail-bowl_, ingredients in, i. 127. Description of an ancient one, 128. Allusions to, in Shakspeare, 129, 130. And by Milton, 131. The peg-tankard, a species of wassail-bowl, 131. _note_.

_Watch-lights_, an article of furniture in Shakspeare's time, ii. 117.

_Water-closets_, by whom invented, ii. 135. _note_.

_Water-spirits_, different classes of, ii. 522, 523.

_Watson_ (Thomas), a poet of the Elizabethan age, critical notice of his works, particularly of his sonnets, i. 660-662., ii. 54. Said by Mr. Steevens to be superior to Shakspeare as a writer of sonnets, i. 663. List of his other poems, _ibid._

_Weather_, prognostications of, from particular days, i. 323.

_Webbe_ (William), account of his "Discourse of English Poetrie," i. 463, 464. Its extreme rarity and high price, 463. _note_. First and second Eclogues of Virgil, 705.

_Webster_ (William), a minor poet of the age of Shakspeare, i. 705.

_Webster_ (John), estimate of the merits of, as a dramatic poet, ii. 564, 565. Illustrations of his plays, viz.: Vittoria Corombona, i. 233, 234. 237, 238. 396. Dutchess of Malfy, i. 351.

_Wedderburn_, a minor poet of the age of Shakspeare, i. 705.

_Weddings_, how celebrated, i. 223-226. Description of a rustic wedding, 227-229.

_Weever_ (John), a minor poet of the age of Shakspeare, i. 705. Bibliographical notice of his "Epigrammes," ii. 371. Verses of, on Shakspeare's Venus and Adonis, ii. 28. Epigram of, on Shakspeare's poems and plays, 372.

_Wells_, superstitious notions concerning, i. 391-393.

_Wenman_ (Thomas), a minor poet of the age of Shakspeare, i. 706.

_Wharton_'s "Dreame," a poem, i. 706.

_Whetstone_'s (George), collection of tales, notice of, i. 543. His "Rocke of Regard," and other poems, 706. Account of the prevalence of gaming in his time, ii. 157, 158. Notice of his dramatic productions, 238. His "Promos and Cassandra," the immediate source of Shakspeare's Measure for Measure, 453.

_Whipping-tops_ anciently kept for public use, i. 312.

_Whitney_ (George), a minor poet of the age of Shakspeare, i. 706.

_Whitsuntide_, festival of, how celebrated, i. 175-180. Morris-dance, its accompaniment, _ibid._ With Maid Marian, 179. Whitsun plays, 181.

_Wieland_'s "Oberon," character of, i. 564. _note_.

_Wild-goose-chace_, a kind of horse race, notice of, i. 304, 305.

_Wilkinson_ (Edward), a minor poet of the age of Shakspeare, i. 706.

_Will_ of John Shakspeare, account of the discovery of, i. 8, 9. Copy of it, 9-14. First published by Mr. Malone, _ibid._ Its authenticity subsequently doubted by him, 15. Confirmed by Mr. Chalmers, _ibid._ Additional reasons for its authenticity, 16. Its probable date, _ibid._

_Will_ of William Shakspeare, ii. 627-632. Observations on it, 612-614.

_Willet_ (Andrew), "Emblems" of, i. 706.

_Willobie_ (Henry), a poet of the Elizabethan age, critical notice of, i. 663, 664. Origin of his "Avisa," 665. Character of that work, 665, 666. Commendatory verses in, on Shakspeare's Rape of Lucrece, ii. 40.

_Will-o'-wisp_, superstitious notions concerning, i. 399, 400.

_Willymat_'s (William) "Prince's Looking Glass," i. 706.

_Wilmot_ (Robert), a dramatic poet in the reign of Elizabeth, character of, ii. 234, 235.

_Wilson_ (Thomas), observations of, on the corruptions of the English language, in the time of James I., i. 440, 441. Proofs that his "Rhetoricke" had been studied by Shakspeare, 472-474.

_Wincot_ ale celebrated for its strength, i. 48. Epigram on, 48, 49. Allusions to this place in Shakspeare's plays, 50.

_Wine_, enormous consumption of, in the age of Shakspeare, ii. 129. Foreign wines then drunk, 130-132. Presents of, usually sent from one room in a tavern to another, 134.

_Winter evening's conversations_ of the sixteenth century, superstitious subjects of, i. 316-322.

_Winter's Tale_, probable date of, ii. 495-497. Its general character, 497-500. And probable source, 498.

_Passages of this drama illustrated in the present work._